Game recap

On a muggy day across the plateau, an assemblage of Travellers took on the Holstons of Knoxville, while introducing to the league, Dimples, a younger and faster version of our beloved Skipper.

Defense was the order of the day as Professor and Curly hurled effectively and Splinter secured the first six outs of the game at shortstop, including a double play. The Holstons’ big bats were cooled by the Travellers play and after 5 innings the score was tied at 3. At that point young Dimples threw out the vaunted Kid from from deep center field causing many to wonder who the real id was. After stopping that potential rally, Dimples and his dad led the Travellers bats to a series of strong innings, taking an 8-5 lead to the ninth. In the ninth, the strong fielding continued with Spartan making a running catch in left field and Old School and Bloomer combining to finish the match.

The game ball was given to Dimples and the Travellers fans can rest assured that the future of the Travellers is in good stead.

Our next outing will be Sunday, June 4th at Bicentennial Capitol Mall, when we will share the field with the Phoenix of East Nashville.

It was 101 degrees the last time the Travellers took the field at Mansker’s Station. At match time this week, it was 49.

All reasonable sporting events were cancelled for this weekend, but no one ever accused the Travellers of Brentwood of being reasonable. The fine gentlemen and ladies travelled to Mansker’s station to play the Mountain City Club of Chattanooga, a team of giants who have been known to put up 40 tallies in a match before.

But the fearsomeness of Mountain City was dwarfed by that of Mother Nature herself, who impressed us with both her sense of humor and her ability to change time. For it was not April at Mansker’s Station on Sunday, but late February, and after 40 straight hours of rain prior to the match Mother Nature decided another two hours wouldn’t hurt anyone. A drop in the temperature to the 40s couldn’t dampen the spirit of these two fine teams gracing middle Tennessee with vintage base ball this day. Old School himself said he had never seen such weather so late in the spring and Chowdahead bemused us with stories of such weather in the Great White North that he called home as a child. The Travellers sent Splinter to hurl, followed by Curly and Professor, while that wiley lefty, Redbird, hurled for Mountain City.

The Travellers got out to an early lead with a series of frozen ropes and worm burners from Philly, Tex, Spartan, and generally the entire first half of the lineup, while Flapjack, Flash and Bloomer turned a double play, and multiple hands died from putouts by Ginger and Professor behind home plate. However, in the following innings the fine gentlemen from Mountain City pounded some long cloud scrapers to right field, while the Travellers bats turned as cold as the weather, and slowly the club from Chattanooga began to take control of the game. There were two consecutive long, heroic putouts by the Mountain City left fielder at third sack and second sack respectively, which both squelched potential rallies by Brentwood.

With the score 12-7 in the ninth, Big Sky caught a long cloud scraper to end a Mountain City rally in the top of the inning, and your Travellers put together a two out rally and managed to load the sacks in the bottom, but alas, mighty Splinter sloshed a rain soaked onion right back to the hurler, mercifully ending the match before Mother Nature had a chance to bring sleet, snow, or some other kind of pestilence. The Travelers will play again in two weeks at Carnton Plantation against the Cumberlanders, where both teams hope that Mother Nature sobers up and blesses us with more temperate spring weather to which the fine citizens of middle Tennessee are generally accustomed.

On a perfect spring day, the Travellers of Brentwood did what they do best, they traveled. this time to the Ramsey house in Knoxville to take on the fine gentlemen that call themselves the Emmett Machinists. The 2 former Sulphur Dell champions under prior team names enjoyed a fine match full of great offense, great defense, and many smiles.

The field at Ramsey House today was governed by Appolo in the infield and Poseidon in the outfield. The Travellers were able to field but nine this week, and those nine tended to be of the older variety . However, Ponce de Leon himself could not have found a more fitting fountain of youth than Ramsey House proved to be for these nine. The Travellers’ willows were gifted with frozen ropes all day, but tallies were limited by the heroic play in that vast, moist garden of the Ramsey House, by the Machinists. Many a hit died in the outstretched arms of the Machinist outfielders, and likewise runs were somewhat difficult for the Machinists through much of the match due to equally courageous play in the field by your Travellers, highlighted by three double plays.

The Machinists clawed back to tie the game in the top of the eighth inning, but with heads held high, the Travellers were able to string together a few worm burners and took a two-run lead into the ninth-inning. Our hurler, The Professor, easily secured two outs in the bottom of the ninth before that old familiar foe of the Travellers, nerves, created an epic ninth-inning come back by the Machinist. Apollo himself was blinding the infielders of the Travellers in that ninth-inning, dropping four consecutive pop-ups, allowing three machinist to tally before a merciful end to the inning.

But some on the Travellers overcame the crushing disappointment, and in the bottom of the ninth, a parade a frozen ropes led to four consecutive hits, securing a walk-off victory.

The Professor and Old School teamed up as hurlers in this match to limit the damage the Machinist could do with their talented bats. Flapjack, Splinter and Wood Chips turned in fine performances as the double play combination of the day. Ginger, as always, served as the Grim Reaper behind the plate for those Machinists unlucky enough to foul an onion in her direction. Philly, Spartan, Tex and numerous others sprayed frozen ropes all over that illustrious garden at the Ramsey house on this beautifully fine day, and in the end all Machinists and Travellers agreed that we should order up the same weather for July and August.